Incendies (2010)
I was surprised that I had forgotten a fair bit of this since my last viewing when it was first in cinemas. Of course I knew the basic plot, but I "remembered" things that didn't actually happen. Maybe I combined it with something else in my memory.
I found it to be just as powerful a story as the first time, however. It reminds me that when I see immigrants in my country, I can never know what kind of horrors they witnessed or were a part of before they came here. It's good that they're given the chance to start over. (The scary thing is that our government probably wouldn't find out if they had had a criminal background if they managed to change their name.)
I suppose the Radiohead music was there to reflect the twins' culture. They grew up in a first world country and would only be able to delve into their mother's past with an outsider's perspective. They would get a glimpse of the pain and trauma she had endured, but there would still be a vast disconnect. I think that's why she wanted them to physically go visit where she grew up, so that her explanations would be more meaningful than simply reading it all through letters.
The Dressmaker (2015)
I wanted to give this one a re-watch as well.
The second time around, I realized that pretty much everyone in this film, except for a couple exceptions like Teddy and the cross-dressing police officer, are toxic. The town's people are snobbish and gossipy and quick to form mob mindsets, and Tilly is bitter and spiteful. That's no surprise, but the cycle simply seems to perpetuate itself. It doesn't appear that anyone learns a lesson. Nonetheless, I appreciate the "black humor" vibe.
I wish we knew more about Tilly. If she was in Europe, what did she do during the war? Why didn't she return home sooner? She said she lost a child. Was she married? Did she get divorced, then go back to her birthplace because she had nothing left?
I could nitpick over how the people who are meant to be around the same age as Tilly look like they're in their 20s when according to the storyline, she is 35 years old... but I'll suspend disbelief, this one time.
I do love the dresses she made, and how she would also inspire the ladies to change their hairstyles and wear makeup. I know it's supposed to be a self-contained narrative (which was based on a novel), but I would gladly watch a sequel of her in Paris in the 1950s, creating more beautiful fashion.
@
Miss Vicky